Performers Include Nationally Acclaimed “Barbra” Impersonator Steven Brinberg
HARTFORD, March 1, 2010 – The legendary American POPS! conductor Marvin Hamlisch will take the podium at the Hartford Symphony POPS! for a tribute to Barbra Streisand on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. in Mortensen Hall at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. This concert will feature renowned vocalist Julie Budd and “Barbra” impersonator Steven Brinberg singing the biggest hits of the Barbra Streisand songbook, including “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” “People,” “The Way We Were,” “Yentl,” and many more. The 2009-2010 POPS! Series is presented by United Technologies Corporation.
Kicking off the HSO’s star-studded weekend will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to join Marvin Hamlisch and his special guests Julie Budd and Steven Brinberg for dinner at The Pond House at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford on Friday, April 16, 2010. This special evening will include hors d’oeuvres, dinner, drinks, and entertainment from Mr. Hamlisch. Proceeds from this dinner will benefit the programs of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. For tickets to the dinner with Marvin Hamlisch, please contact HSO Development Associate & Maestro’s Society Manager Tracy Wu at twu@hartfordsymphony.org or (860)246-8742 x.336.
HSO Executive Director Kristen Phillips says, “The Hartford Symphony Orchestra doesn’t often get the opportunity to work with a legend like Marvin Hamlisch. We are thrilled to have him as our guest conductor and anticipate seeing and hearing how Julie Budd and Steven Brinberg bring the music of Barbra Streisand to life. I hope the Hartford community takes advantage of this rare opportunity to see Mr. Hamlisch in concert and the unique opportunity to have dinner with him the evening before.”
Marvin Hamlisch has won virtually every major award that exists: three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony, and three Golden Globe awards; his groundbreaking show, A Chorus Line, received the Pulitzer Prize. He is the composer of many motion picture scores including his Oscar-winning score and song for The Way We Were and Oscar-winning adaptation of Scott Joplin’s music for The Sting. His prolific output of scores for films include original compositions and/or musical adaptations for Sophie’s Choice, Ordinary People, The Swimmer, Three Men And A Baby, Ice Castles, Take The Money And Run, Bananas, Save The Tiger, and his latest effort “The Informant!”, (Sept. 2009). Mr. Hamlisch was Musical Director and arranger of Barbra Streisand’s 1994 concert tour as well as of the Emmy-winning television special, “Barbra Streisand: The Concert.”
Julie Budd’s credits range from television to film and the New York stage, from symphonies to the most lavish casinos and showrooms in the country. Ms. Budd has appeared on The Tonight Show and Entertainment Tonight, and has appeared with such legendary performers as Frank Sinatra, Bill Cosby, Joan Rivers, Bob Hope, George Burns, Liberace, and Carol Burnett, as well as with the orchestras of Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Austin, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Buffalo, and many others. Moviegoers will remember Julie’s starring role in Disney’s The Devil and Max Devlin, where she worked with her friend Marvin Hamlisch, who together with Carol Bayer Sager, penned the title song Roses and Rainbows for Julie. In 2009, Ms. Budd also appeared in the motion picture Two Lovers with Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Since 1993, Steven Brinberg has starred in his show “Simply Barbra,” which has played in New York for a record-breaking five year run and since has branched out to 28 U.S. states from Idaho to Louisiana and eight countries. Mr. Brinberg has performed at special events as Barbra for the likes of Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joan Rivers, and Donna Karan. Mr. Brinberg has performed at Carnegie Hall, Town Hall, The Kennedy Center, and the Library of Congress.
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CALENDAR LISTING:
HARTFORD SYMPHONY POPS!
MARVIN HAMLISCH: A Tribute to Barbra Streisand
Hartford Symphony Orchestra with Marvin Hamlisch, guest conductor; Julie Budd & Steven Brinberg, guest vocalists
Saturday, April 17, 2010 │ 8:00 p.m.
Mortensen Hall │ The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
Program: The biggest hits of the Streisand Songbook, including: “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” “People,” “Summer Me, Winter Me,” and more.
Ticket Prices: $30 – $60; $10 with a student I.D.
Tickets are available in person Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Hartford Symphony Orchestra Ticket Services, 99 Pratt Street, Suite 500 in Hartford, by calling (860) 244-2999, or online 24/7 at www.hartfordsymphony.org.
DINNER WITH MARVIN HAMLISCH
and Special Guests Julie Budd & Steven Brinberg
Friday, April 16, 2010 │ 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
The Pond House │ 1555 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford
Program: A special evening with the legendary Marvin Hamlisch including hors d’oeuvres, dinner, drinks, and entertainment from Mr. Hamlisch. Proceeds to benefit the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.
Ticket Price: $125 per person
Tickets are available by contacting HSO Development Associate & Maestro’s Society Manager Tracy Wu at twu@hartfordsymphony.org or (860)246-8742 x.336.
The Hartford Symphony Orchestra participates in the Greater Hartford Arts Council’s Let*s GO Arts! program that offers 2-for-1 tickets to arts and entertainment events, and discounts at restaurants and clubs. Let*s GO Arts! members can receive 2-for-1 full price tickets to HSO Masterworks and POPS! concerts.
The 2009-2010 POPS! Series is presented by United Technologies Corporation. HSO Pops! Marvin Hamlisch: A Tribute to Barbra Streisand is sponsored by Aetna and Bank of America. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.